Written Answers Friday 28 April 2006

Scottish Executive

Antisocial Behaviour

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many anti-social behaviour orders have been issued since the legislation came into effect and how many of these have been issued to people with diagnosed emotional or behavioural problems or learning difficulties.

Hugh Henry: Between April 1999 and March 2005, 559 Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) were granted in Scotland.

  Information on how many ASBOs were issued to people with diagnosed emotional or behavioural problems or learning difficulties is not collected centrally. Collation of meaningful data would prove difficult in view of the lack of a consistent and widely agreed definition of such problems.

Autism

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24315 by Mr Andy Kerr on 22 March 2006 in which it states that, "Since that time there have been a series of studies which have reinforced the evidence that MMR is safe", whether it will list the studies referred to in chronological order, identifying those studies which involved the clinical examination of autistic children.

Mr Andy Kerr: The key research papers listed support the view that there is no link between MMR and autism:

  Gillberg C & Heijbel H, (1998). MMR and autism [commentary]. Autism, The International Journal of Research and Practice; 2:423-424. http://www.sagepub.co.uk

  Taylor B et al (1999) Autism and measles, mumps and rubella vaccine: no epidemiological evidence for a causal association. The Lancet; 353: 2026-29. http://www.thelancet.com

  Kaye J et al (2001). Mumps, measles and rubella vaccine and the incidence of autism recorded by general practitioners: A time trend analysis. British Medical Journal 322:460-3.

  http://bmj.bmjjournals.com

  Farrington P et al (2001). MMR and autism: Further evidence against a causal association Vaccine 19:3632-5 Volume 19, Issue 27, 14 June 2001, pages 3632-3635. http://www.elsevier.com

  Fombonne E, Chakrabarti S. No evidence for a new variant of measles-mumps-rubella-induced autism. Pediatrics 2001;108(4):E58.

  Ceyhan M, Kanra G, Erdem G, Kanra B. Immunogenicity and efficacy of one dose measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine at twelve months of age as compared to monovalent measles vaccination at nine months followed by MMR revaccination at fifteen months of age. Vaccine 2001;19(31):4473-8.

  Davis RL, Kramarz P, Bohlke K, Benson P, Thompson RS, Mullooly J, et al. Measles-mumps-rubella and other measles-containing vaccines do not increase the risk for inammatory bowel disease: a case-control study from the Vaccine Safety Datalink project. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 2001;155(3):354-9.

  Black C (2002) Relation of childhood gastrointestinal disorders to autism: nested case-control study using data from the UK General Practice Research Database. British Medical Journal 325:419-21.

  http://bmj.bmjjournals.com.

  Taylor B et al (2002) Measles, mumps and rubella vaccination and bowel problems or development regression in children with autism: population study. British Medical Journal 324: 393-396.

  http://bmj.bmjjournals.com.

  Donald A & Muthu V (2002) No evidence that MMR vaccine is associated with autism or bowel disease. Clinical Evidence, 7:331-40. http://www.clinicalevidence.com.

  Madsen KM et al (2002). A population-based study of measles, mumps and rubella vaccination and autism. New England Journal of Medicine 347: 1477-82. http://content.nejm.org

  da Cunha SS, Rodrigues LC, Barreto ML, Dourado I. Outbreak of aseptic meningitis and mumps after mass vaccination with MMR vaccine using the Leningrad-Zagreb mumps strain. Vaccine 2002;20 (7-8):1106{12.

  DeStefano F, Gu D, Kramarz P, Truman BI, Iademarco MF, Mullooly JP, Jackson LA, et al. Childhood vaccinations and risk of asthma. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 2002;21(6):498-504.

  Makela A, Nuorti JP, Peltola H. Neurologic disorders after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination. Pediatrics 2002;110(5):957-63.

  Szatmari P. et al. ( 2003 ). The cause of autism spectrum disorders. British Medical Journal 326: 173-4. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com

  Wilson K et al. (2003). Association of Autistic Spectrum Disorder and the Measles, Mumps and Rubella Vaccine. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 157: 628-34.

  Fombonne E. (2003). Editorial. The prevalence of autism. Journal of American Medical Association 289 (1): 87-9. http://jama.ama-assn.org

  Black C, Kaye JA, Jick H. MMR vaccine and idiopathic thrombocytopaenic purpura. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2003;55(1):107-11.

  DeStefano F, Bhasin TK, Thompson WW, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Boyle C. Age at first measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in children with autism and school-matched control subjects: a population-based study in metropolitan Atlanta. Pediatrics 2004;113(2):259-66.

  Park T, Ki M, Yi SG. Statistical analysis of MMR vaccine adverse events on aseptic meningitis using the case cross-over design. Stat Med 2004;23(12):1871-83.

  Smeeth L, Cook C, Fombonne E, Heavey L, Rodrigues LC, Smith PG, et al. MMR vaccination and pervasive developmental disorders: a case-control study. Lancet 2004;364(9438):963-9.

  Vestergaard M, Hviid A, Madsen KM, Wohlfahrt J, Thorsen P, Schendel D, et al. MMR vaccination and febrile seizures: evaluation of susceptible subgroups and long-term prognosis. JAMA 2004;292 (3):351-7.

Broadcasting

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what input it has made into the BBC Charter Review.

Patricia Ferguson: Broadcasting is a reserved matter and is the responsibility of the Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS).

  The Scottish Executive has worked closely with DCMS throughout the BBC Charter Review process to make them aware of the outcomes we want from the Charter Review and to highlight the potential for improvement in terms of serving the Scottish public. The Executive’s response to the consultation on the BBC Charter Review Green Paper, which DCMS launched in March 2005, can be found on the BBC Charter Review website at www.bbccharterreview.org.uk.

  We are continuing to work with DCMS to ensure that the next Royal Charter and Framework Agreement take account of the different circumstances in the devolved nations of the UK as well as the interests of listeners and viewers in Scotland.

Council Tax

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether existing local government finance legislation would allow Scottish local authorities to introduce a council tax rebate scheme for householders who invest in energy efficiency measures, along the lines of the scheme introduced in England and Wales in partnership with local authorities and energy companies.

George Lyon: There is no legislation in Scotland that would enable a local authority to implement such a scheme. We are currently awaiting the report of the independent Local Government Finance Review Committee. Once the way forward on local taxation is known, we can come to a view regarding any discount regimes to be put in place.

Diabetes

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current recommended time is between each diabetes check-up with a consultant and what time the previous guidelines recommended.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS Quality Improvement Scotland recommends that all people with diabetes are offered annual examination, or more frequent examinations where clinically indicated, to monitor the management and progression of their condition. No recommendations have been made about which member of the diabetes care team should carry out the examinations.

Drug Misuse

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many fully trained staff there are within the drug treatment sector; how many more trained staff are needed in the sector; how many places are available to those seeking training, and how much funding is allocated for the training of these professionals.

Hugh Henry: There is no definition of what constitutes "fully trained staff within the drug treatment sector". However, there is a single set of occupational standards, Drug and Alcohol National Occupational Standards (DANOS), which underpin all substance misuse training delivered in Scotland through Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol (STRADA). The Executive provided £860,000 in 2005-06 to fund training delivered through STRADA.

  Between October 2001 and December 2005 STRADA provided 17,000 training places across 18 different modules. STRADA also offers a Post Graduate Certificate in Addiction from the University of Glasgow; to date 85 individuals have successfully completed this course. Bespoke training courses requested by Alcohol and Drug Action Teams are also delivered by STRADA and include practise-based workshops and specialised training courses.

  The Executive has also provided two year funding (£655,440 over 2005-06 and 2006-07) to the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to develop and deliver the RCGP Certificate in the Management of Drug Misuse in Primary Care in Scotland. This funding will provide training to 60 GPs, 20 Pharmacists and 20 nurses. In addition, in 2005-06 the Scottish Drug Forum received £41,557 and Re-Solv £29,128 for drug related training.

  Ring-fenced grant funding of £5.5 million per annum is also paid to local authorities to improve the quality and management of social work provision by increasing the availability of training for relevant staff. It is not possible to disaggregate what proportion of this funding is spent on drug related training.

Drug Misuse

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to deliver drug education programmes and initiatives following the winding-up of the Scotland Against Drugs project.

Hugh Henry: The main functions of Scotland Against Drugs (SAD), including the schools programme, transferred to NHS Health Scotland from 1 April 2006. Health Scotland, the Health Promoting Schools Unit and Learning Teaching Scotland will take forward the drugs education element of SAD’s work programme within the context of the health promoting schools approach.

  In addition, all schools in Scotland will continue to provide drugs education as part of the 5-14 Health Education guidelines. The Executive’s Know the Score communications strategy will also continue to run targeted campaigns which provide information about drugs, their effects and where help can be obtained. The strategy is supported by a free telephone information line and a dedicated website. The range of Know the Score materials is available to Directors of Education for use in schools.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths there were in dwelling fires in each fire and rescue service area in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Hugh Henry: The number of dwelling fire deaths is shown in the following table.

  

 
 1995
 1996
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Central Scotland
 6
 6
 4
 2
 3
 -
 5
 2
 1
 4


 Dumfries and Galloway
 5
 -
 3
 -
 3
 -
 3
 -
 -
 3


 Fife
 6
 8
 1
 4
 9
 3
 4
 11
 4
 5


 Grampian
 4
 9
 7
 5
 4
 5
 10
 5
 6
 4


 Highland and Islands
 3
 7
 9
 8
 1
 3
 6
 3
 4
 9


 Lothian and Borders
 6
 6
 7
 2
 13
 12
 11
 3
 11
 9


 Strathclyde
 39
 56
 41
 50
 43
 39
 40
 37
 32
 38


 Tayside
 7
 4
 3
 4
 4
 5
 9
 2
 3
 4


 Scotland Total
 76
 96
 75
 75
 80
 67
 88
 63
 61
 76



  Data Source: Fire Statistics, United Kingdom: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address the death rate from fire in the Highlands and Islands which is significantly higher than the rate for Scotland and the rate for England.

Hugh Henry: Scottish Fire Service Circular 4/2003 introduced the concept of risk-based emergency response through Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP) at fire authority level. This approach takes us away from the traditional response approach to fire cover to a more flexible, locally determined risk-managed approach which is intended to improve community safety. The Highlands and Islands IRMP was implemented on 1 April 2005.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths from accidental dwelling fires there were in each fire and rescue service area in each year since 1997.

Hugh Henry: The number of accidental dwelling fire deaths is shown in the following table.

  

 
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Central Scotland
 4
 2
 3
 -
 2
 2
 1
 4


 Dumfries and Galloway
 3
 2
 2
 -
 3
 -
 -
 3


 Fife
 2
 4
 10
 3
 4
 5
 4
 5


 Grampian
 6
 4
 4
 5
 8
 5
 6
 4


 Highlands and Islands
 5
 4
 1
 3
 6
 2
 4
 9


 Lothian and Borders
 8
 2
 14
 11
 7
 3
 11
 8


 Strathclyde
 40
 44
 37
 33
 35
 36
 31
 35


 Tayside
 2
 5
 5
 4
 9
 2
 2
 4


 Scotland Total
 70
 67
 76
 59
 74
 55
 59
 72



  Data Source: Fire Statistics, United Kingdom: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were rescued by the fire and rescue services in the last five years, broken down by service area.

Hugh Henry: The number of people rescued by the fire and rescue services in the last five years is shown in the following table.

  

 
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004


 Central Scotland
 181
 45
 46
 34
 58


 Dumfries and Galloway
 18
 19
 15
 11
 5


 Fife
 34
 70
 61
 48
 32


 Grampian
 81
 49
 70
 87
 114


 Highland and Islands
 9
 21
 13
 25
 28


 Lothian and Borders
 221
 161
 258
 202
 172


 Strathclyde
 392
 364
 416
 339
 406


 Tayside
 76
 106
 64
 85
 48


 Scotland Total
 1,013
 835
 943
 831
 863

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many uniformed female personnel are employed by each fire and rescue service and what percentage of uniformed personnel are female.

Hugh Henry: The actual strength of the of fire and rescue services as at 31 March 2005 is shown in the following table.

  

 
 Number of Females
 % of Total Uniformed Staff


 Central Scotland
 14
 3.4


 Dumfries and Galloway
 9
 2.7


 Fife
 22
 4.4


 Grampian
 30
 4.0


 Highlands and Islands
 75
 5.2


 Lothian and Borders
 53
 5.1


 Strathclyde
 89
 3.0


 Tayside
 29
 4.3



  Source: HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services for Scotland.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets have been set for the recruitment of under-represented groups by each fire and rescue service and what guidance on such targets has been issued by the Justice Department.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive has not issued any such guidance. Recruitment and the setting of any targets are matters for the individual fire and rescue authorities and joint fire and rescue boards.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive under whose authority the latest comprehensive performance assessment is being undertaken by each fire and rescue authority.

Hugh Henry: Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services for Scotland has a statutory duty to inspect the state and efficiency of the fire services and carries out this responsibility on a rolling basis. The Chief Inspector reports to ministers.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times Audit Scotland has undertaken a review of the fire and rescue authorities in the last three years and what the results were of such reviews.

Hugh Henry: Audit Scotland conducts an annual review of police and fire performance indicators, the results of which are published at www.audit-scotland.gov.uk .

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the agreed uniformed establishment is for each fire and rescue authority and who approves the establishment.

Hugh Henry: The last agreed establishment for each Fire and Rescue Service is shown in the following table.

  

 Rescue Service
 Number


 Central Scotland
 410


 Dumfries and Galloway
 335


 Fife
 500


 Grampian
 850


 Highlands and Islands
 1,696


 Lothian and Borders
 1,065


 Strathclyde
 3,072


 Tayside
 673


 Scotland total
 8,601



  Following the introduction of integrated risk management plans (IRMP) in 2003 establishment figures are no longer used as a basis for recruitment. Instead, each fire and rescue service matches available resources to the risks identified in their IRMP.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the proposed structure and functions are of the replacement for the Scottish Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council.

Hugh Henry: The new advisory structure will comprise three groups, namely a ministerial group, a strategic group and a service delivery group.

  The ministerial group will provide direct advice to ministers on strategic fire service issues. The strategic group will be led by COSLA on behalf of the fire authorities, while the service delivery group will be led by the Chief Fire Officers Association.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive from whom it has sought advice on fire and rescue service issues since the abolition of the Scottish Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council.

Hugh Henry: Officials are in regular contact with the Fire and Rescue Community including dialogue with Chief Fire Officers and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Fire Services. Officials also sit on various groups such as the Community Fire Safety Forum and the Chief Fire Officers Association Fire Prevention Business Stream. Advice is sought from appropriate groups or individuals as and when a need arises.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have died as a result of fire in the last five years; what the death rate per million population has been in the same period, and what information it has on how this rate compares with the UK average.

Hugh Henry: The number of people who have died as a result of fire in the last five years in Scotland is shown as follows. Also shown are equivalent figures for other parts of the United Kingdom.

  

 Scotland
 Fatal Casualties
 Rate Per Million Population


 2004
 99
 19


 2003
 80
 16


 2002
 77
 15


 2001
 103
 20


 2000
 75
 15



  

 England
 Fatal Casualties
 Rate Per Million Population


 2004
 367
 7


 2003
 469
 9


 2002
 435
 9


 2001
 469
 10


 2000
 494
 10



  

 Wales
 Fatal Casualties
 Rate Per Million Population


 2004
 25
 8


 2003
 30
 10


 2002
 29
 10


 2001
 32
 11


 2000
 37
 13



  

 Northern Ireland
 Fatal Casualties
 Rate Per Million Population


 2004
 14
 8


 2003
 13
 8


 2002
 20
 12


 2001
 17
 10


 2000
 17
 10



  Data Source: Fire Statistics, United Kingdom: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the recommended crew level and the minimum (a) response time and (b) weight of response are in respect of a dwelling fire in each fire and rescue service area.

Hugh Henry: This information is not held centrally. This is an operational matter for the relevant Chief Fire Officer rather than ministers.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce the number of, and casualties from, accidental dwelling fires started by under 10-year-olds.

Hugh Henry: The Executive is currently developing a web-based youth fire safety education resource which will contain information suitable for those under ten years of age. The Executive also provides education material directly to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services for use in their community fire safety education programmes.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive many hoax calls were made to the emergency and fire and rescue services in each of the last three years, broken down by service area.

Hugh Henry: The number of malicious hoax calls made to the fire and rescue services for the last three years is shown in the following table.

  

 Fire Service
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Central Scotland
 435
 383
 321


 Dumfries and Galloway
 83
 54
 44


 Fife
 443
 430
 361


 Grampian
 354
 280
 247


 Highlands and Islands
 339
 279
 218


 Lothian and Borders
 1,209
 1,264
 1,136


 Strathclyde
 4,435
 3,861
 3,690


 Tayside
 485
 399
 333


 Scotland Total
 7,783
 6,950
 6,350



  Data Source: Scottish Executive: Criminal Justice Series: Fire Statistics Scotland.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision will be made in respect of the future of the emergency fire service control rooms.

Hugh Henry: Ministers are currently considering options in relation to control rooms and no decisions have yet been taken. Before this happens we shall consult with stakeholders and provide a report to Parliament.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact a reduction in the number of emergency fire service control rooms will have on the number of fire and rescue authorities.

Hugh Henry: Ministers are currently considering options in relation to control rooms. We have no current plans to change the number of fire and rescue authorities.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reduce the number of fire and rescue authorities.

Hugh Henry: We have no current plans to reduce the number of fire and rescue authorities.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected cost is of the Firelink radio programme.

Hugh Henry: Firelink is a GB-wide radio network with a total estimated cost of approximately £350 million.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average pay for firefighters has been in each of the last 25 years.

Hugh Henry: This information is not held centrally.

  Terms and conditions for firefighters (including pay) are determined by the National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services. Information on firefighters pay in recent years can be obtained from the Local Government Employers website:

  http://www.lge.gov.uk/conditions/firefighters/content/joint_circulars.html.

Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been diagnosed with congenital heart disease in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: Aggregated data on the birth prevalence of cardiovascular anomalies have been published in the Scottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Review Advisory Group (SPMMRAG) annual reports since 2001. The most recently published data for infants born in Scotland with congenital heart anomalies by year is:

  

 1999
 233


 2000
 270


 2001
 266


 2002
 232


 2003
 289

Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people there are with congenital heart disease, broken down by NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.

Hospital-Acquired Infections

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23334 by Mr Andy Kerr on 6 March 2006 and given that the annual report of the Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections surveillance programme stated that uptake of the programme among acute care divisions had been "challenging", whether Health Protection Scotland’s national survey of healthcare associated infections will be compulsory for acute care divisions.

Mr Andy Kerr: It is compulsory for all acute care divisions to participate in the national Healthcare Associated Infections prevalence survey in Scotland.

  A letter from the Chief Nursing Officer in Scotland went to all Chief Executives in NHS boards in April 2005 outlining the requirements for the survey.

Hospital-Acquired Infections

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23334 by Mr Andy Kerr on 6 March 2006, whether it will list the types of hospital-acquired infections which will be included in Health Protection Scotland’s national survey.

Mr Andy Kerr: The national prevalence survey of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) includes all types of HAIs. The list includes infections in bone and joint, bloodstream, central nervous system, cardiovascular, ear, nose and throat, gastrointestinal, respiratory, reproductive, surgical site, skin and urinary tract.

  The survey is also collecting organism data, information on invasive devices and antibiotic prescribing data.

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many house repossessions there have been since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Justice

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many malicious vehicle fires there have been in each year since 1997.

Hugh Henry: The number of malicious vehicle fires is shown in the following table.

  

 
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Total
 2,488
 3,086
 4,093
 4,239
 4,049
 4,163
 3,525
 2,854



  Data Source: Fire Statistics; United Kingdom; Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards have a positive mental health strategy in place.

Lewis Macdonald: Whilst health boards are not required specifically to produce a positive mental health strategy, health ministers annually discuss mental health as one of a range of key issues around performance each year for individual health boards. This annual review process includes assessment of performance on all aspects of mental health including the actions taken by health boards, as part of health improvement strategies, to promote positive mental health.

  Health boards are encouraged to play their part in promoting positive mental health as an integral part of their broader action on mental health.

NHS Staff

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether changes to the immigration rules for the recruitment of overseas professionals to the National Health Service will apply in Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: Immigration is a reserved matter with policy being determined by the Home Office on a UK basis. As such, recent changes to the immigration rules for the recruitment of overseas professionals to the National Health Service do apply in Scotland.

NHS Staff

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Home Office consulted the Health Department in Scotland before introducing new regulations on the recruitment of overseas professionals to the National Health Service.

Mr Andy Kerr: On the issue of the UK requiring postgraduate doctors and dentists to be in possession of a permit to work in the UK, the Department of Health consulted each of the UK Health Departments on behalf of the Home Office.

  In relation to the introduction of A Points-Based System: Making Migration Work for Britain the Home Office conducted a wide consultation which included the Scottish Executive.

NHS Staff

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out an assessment of the impact in Scotland of new regulations on the recruitment of overseas professionals to the National Health Service and, if so, whether it will publish the outcome of the assessment.

Mr Andy Kerr: While a pre-introductory assessment was not specifically commissioned on changes in recruitment of overseas professionals, the Executive will work with NHS boards to deal with any service impact.

NHS Staff

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist nurses in chronic disease management there are and what plans it has to increase this number.

Mr Andy Kerr: The planning of the workforce to deliver first class health services, including specialist nurses who work with sufferers of chronic conditions to patients in Scotland, is primarily a matter for individual NHS boards. As at 30 September 2004, there were 219 nurse specialists working with patients who have chronic conditions such as Diabetes, Epilepsy, HIV, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Palliative Care. Further information is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics, at www.isdscotland.org/workforce .

  A Review of Nursing in the Community is also underway, which, when completed will set the direction for creating a modern re-designed community nursing service. This will significantly contribute to the reduction of hospital admissions, facilitate hospital discharges, improve the management of patients with long-term illness and support the care and treatment of patients in their own home and community settings.

NHS Waiting Times

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times have been for diabetes check-ups with a consultant in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.

Sexual Health

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any NHS board has still to appoint an executive director to be responsible for sexual health and well-being, as set out in Respect and Responsibility: Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health .

Mr Andy Kerr: All NHS boards have appointed an Executive Director responsible for sexual health and well-being in their area.

Sexual Health

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any NHS board has still to appoint a lead clinician to integrate sexual health services across its area, as set out in Respect and Responsibility: Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health .

Mr Andy Kerr: Each NHS board apart from NHS Tayside has appointed a Lead Clinician to integrate sexual health services in their area. NHS Tayside is in the process of appointing an additional consultant in GU Medicine along with other frontline staff. The responsibilities of the Lead Clinician are being taken forward by a number of senior clinicians on a portfolio basis, making best use of the available expertise.

  Overall progress on implementing the sexual health strategy and action plan is undertaken by the multi-agency Strategy Group and the effectiveness of the portfolio approach will be evaluated after 12 months.

Sexual Health

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland in developing appropriate clinical standards for dealing with sexually transmitted infections, as set out in Respect and Responsibility: Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health .

Mr Andy Kerr: Respect and Responsibility identified NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) as the key mechanism to support the development of appropriate clinical standards for dealing with sexually transmitted infections and wider sexual health issues. As the initial stage in formulating these standards, work has been undertaken on the development of key clinical indicators, the first five of which were considered at the February 2006 meeting of the National Sexual Health Advisory Committee and which are shortly to be implemented by NHS boards. Further work on additional key clinical indicators and standards will be taken forward by NHS QIS during 2006-07 with the intention of consulting on these in summer 2007.

Sexual Health

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in considering the possible extension of the chlamydia postal testing kit in the light of the evaluation of the Healthy Respect initiative, as set out in Respect and Responsibility: Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health .

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in considering the potential of development and testing of STI diagnostic kits in rural and urban settings, as set out in Respect and Responsibility: Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health .

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-23289 on 28 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Speech and Language Therapy

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many referrals for speech and language therapy there have been in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on the total number of referrals for speech and language therapy is not held centrally.

  Some information on the number of cases that speech and language therapists are involved in is available. New and total patient attendances in 2004-05, covering only the activity provided by hospital-based staff, is published in the Data Developments area of ISD’s website:

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/collect2.jsp?pContentID=1358&p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show&.

  This data is part of an on-going development of a national dataset of patient numbers treated by Allied Health Professionals. No information is collected on activity in the community sector.